ALPHA GAMMA DELTA Accreditation Report

Transcription

1 ALPHA GAMMA DELTA Accreditation Report Intellectual Development Alpha Gamma Delta was ranked fourth among Panhellenic Sororities in the fall 2010 semester with a GPA of 3.366, a decrease of.036 from the spring 2010 semester. The GPA placed the chapter above the All Women s, All Greek and All Undergraduate averages. Alpha Gamma Delta was ranked fifth among Panhellenic Sororities in the spring 2011 semester with a GPA of 3.295, a decrease of.071 from the fall 2010 semester. The GPA placed the chapter above the All Sorority, All Women s, All Greek and All Undergraduate averages. Alpha Gamma Delta s spring 2011 new member class GPA was 2.984, ranking seventh out of eight Panhellenic Sororities. Alpha Gamma Delta had 38.8% of the chapter on the Dean s List in the fall 2010 semester and 32.4% on the Dean s List in the spring 2011 semester. The chapter has trended between first and fourth over the last two years, but has seen a decline in GPA over the last couple of semesters. Alpha Gamma Delta continues to provide their staple academic support programs but have included new programs including the Scholarly Squirrels Program. This program provides members a buffer before reaching academic probation. The committee considers a Best Practice. The chapter also began a new program called Sassy Sisters which pairs together sisters from different majors and new member classes for academic support. Alpha Gamma Delta continued traditional initiatives such as their annual scholarship dinner with Sigma Chi, their Yay for A s board, and academic support tutoring for members. Alpha Gamma Delta s personal development program has improved greatly; incorporating a number of new programs to spark intellectual development including their Where are they Now networking program with their alumni, a physical health component discussing healthy meals and conversations about body image, as well the opportunity to exercise together. Alpha Gamma Delta members are processing intellectual development from a personal development perspective and the committee is very impressed with this. The committee believes that the chapter is connecting members with opportunities for personal growth. Alpha Gamma Delta is also growing as a chapter through conversations that emphasize diversity and pluralism. The chapter conducts in-house bible study and is also involved with Hebrews on the Hill. The chapter also hosted a Brown Bag discussion in the M-room about race and ethnicity and chapter membership. The committee would like to see continuity with this initiative. The committee is impressed with Alpha Gamma Delta s intentionality in working to change their academic and intellectual initiatives to continuously meet the needs of chapter members.

2 How does the chapter provide overall membership development that allows for intellectual discussion and processing of individual experiences? In the area of Intellectual Development, the committee rated Alpha Gamma Delta to be a Leadership Development Alpha Gamma Delta members are involved in a number of activities across campus. The committee believes that this shows evidence of a wide berth of influence from the chapter. Members are leaders for a number of these organizations, including involvement in the Panhellenic Council, Colleges Against Cancer, and Student Leadership Trainers. Alpha Gamma Delta is involved with their Inter/national Headquarters through their convention and annual leadership conference. They also have had individual members attend LeaderShape and other leadership development programs. The chapter is placing emphasis on ritual proficiency by making it more than just memorization. The chapter recently participated in the recolonization of their Alpha Chapter at Syracuse University for which they led various rituals. Alpha Gamma Delta utilized the student leadership training program this year for a number of programs for their new members. The chapter has had intentional conversations regarding membership development. Their new member education program, the 14 Pearls program, is something that the committee believes the chapter incorporates developmentally and holistically and commends the chapter for this practice. Alpha Gamma Delta has taken on a strong leadership role following issues with new member education in the Panhellenic Community and has become involved with the ResponseAbility Bystander Intervention Program. The chapter, overall, has been very intentional regarding learning, living and incorporating chapter values into all aspects of chapter operations. How does the Alpha Gamma Delta capitalize on lessons learned from their risk management violation to continue positive culture change within the chapter? In the area of Leadership Development, the committee rated Alpha Gamma Delta to be a Community Development Alpha Gamma Delta is consistently involved in community-wide fraternity and sorority programming. The chapter won Greek Week and was an active participant in Pink Week. The committee would like to see Alpha Gamma Delta s community-wide participation move from participation to having a more active voice in challenging issues within the community. The chapter took an active role in community service and philanthropic involvement for which they feel passionate. Examples of this include participating in the Heart Walk and Fives for Lives.

3 Alpha Gamma Delta also helped to raise awareness for their national philanthropy, Diabetes, with participation in Step out for Diabetes, Strikes for Tikes, and the chapter s Diabetes awareness poster campaign. The chapter continues to get more involved with diversity and pluralism discussions through the hosting of discussions with the Women s Center, as well as the chapter s brown bag discussion on inclusive recruitment practices for fraternities and sororities. The chapter is beginning to see its potential impact in these discussions. Alpha Gamma Delta had one social policy warning this year. The chapter dealt with it appropriately and as a result has improved conversations with their Inter/national Headquarters. The committee is happy to see this proactivity. The chapter is actively utilizing their standards board and it seems to be working well for the chapter both from an incentive and accountability toll. Alpha Gamma Delta continues to move past sole reliance on their Alumnae Advisor. The chapter s alumnae base continues to become more active and involved with the chapter. The committee hopes this continues. How does the chapter take its efforts on educating on the bystander intervention and the harms of hazing to affect change on a larger community level? In the area of Community Development, the committee rated Alpha Gamma Delta to be a Organizational Development Alpha Gamma Delta has established goals for the next three years, which the committee commends the chapter. The committee recommends that the chapter utilizes previous Accreditation reports to glean past trends in organizational operations. The chapter held a risk management workshop for the membership, and also started new practices that include compilation of individual medical forms as well as more in depth event planning and safety workshops. In addition, the chapter created emergency contact cards for each member. These cards contain contact information for the chapter president, as well as resources such as Break the Silence, and the LUPD. The chapter has representation from every new member class on their executive board which allows for a diverse perspective and widespread leadership. Alpha Gamma Delta is using Omega Financial for all billing and collections. The chapter has been using this service for a number of years now and it seems to have been a seamless transition. The chapter hosted a Where the Money Goes workshop to show to members the cost of running the chapter and how their funds are used. The chapter is thinking beyond what their budget is, and translating into information that each chapter member can understand, and as a result feel involved and informed. The committee Alpha Gamma Delta conducted an organized and efficient process in their search for a faculty advisor. The search was paired down to two finalists before Chris Mulvihill resumed his role as faculty advisor.

4 How does the chapter continue its efforts in ritual proficiency, making values an integral part of chapter activities? In the area of Organizational Development, the committee rated Alpha Gamma Delta to be a Facilities Management Alpha Gamma Delta has a good relationship with their chef and their cleaning company. The chapter instituted a How Clean is Alpha Gam program which involved their chef in the process of assessing the cleanliness of the chapter house on a daily basis. Incentives were given to chapter members for positive results. The committee Alpha Gamma Delta s green initiatives, their green chairs, green tip of the week, having new dishes take the place of paper dishes, having a projector for chapter meeting, having reusable mugs. The chapter hosted a best practice facilities presentation for the Panhellenic Council. This is evidence of their consistency as a chapter in the area of facilities and also evidence of their ability to articulate their message and commitment to the overall success of the entire fraternity and sorority community. The committee considers this a Best Practice. Alpha Gamma Delta s closing procedure seems to be efficient which results in good closings each year. The chapter does not have an occupancy issue. The chapter has a great relationship with Residential Services and is competent and consistent in the assessment of recurring facility needs. Alpha Gamma Delta met all paperwork deadlines and had no major or minor life safety violations. How does Alpha Gamma Delta move their sustainability commitments into lasting chapter practices? In the area of Facilities Management, the committee rated Alpha Gamma Delta to be a Overall Rating Overall, Alpha Gamma Delta has been rated a Gold chapter by the Accreditation Committee. The chapter continues to have solid years with new involvement across campus and new initiatives. The committee will continue to challenge the chapter to evolve through assessment. By evaluating what is no longer important and encouraging the continuation of programs and initiatives that make the most sense for who they are as an organization, Alpha Gamma Delta will continue to be at the forefront of the fraternity and sorority community at Lehigh University.

5 The Accreditation committee assigns Alpha Gamma Delta an overall rating of a Gold Chapter, which is considered an exceptional level of achievement in the Accreditation process, with all the privileges that accompany such a rating. Congratulations! Recommendations Alpha Gamma Delta has established goals for the next three years, which the committee commends the chapter. The committee recommends that the chapter utilizes previous Accreditation reports to glean past trends in organizational operations. Best Practices The chapter hosted a Where the Money Goes workshop to show to members the cost of running the chapter and how their funds are used. The chapter is thinking beyond what their budget is, and translating into information that each chapter member can understand, and as a result feel involved and informed. The committee The chapter instituted a How Clean is Alpha Gam program which involved their chef in the process of assessing the cleanliness of the chapter house on a daily basis. Incentives were given to chapter members for positive results. The committee The chapter hosted a best practice facilities presentation for the Panhellenic Council. This is evidence of their consistency as a chapter in the area of facilities and also evidence of their ability to articulate their message and commitment to the overall success of the entire fraternity and sorority community. The committee considers this a Best Practice.